How long can dogs be left?

[MedicalWriter]

I know the RSPCA and others recommend not leaving a dog alone for more than 4 hours. Is this based on research or has it been studied? I thought I read that dogs had no concept of time. So is there a difference from leaving a dog 4 hours or 6 hours?

[Signet2012]

I actually recorded my dog on a camcorder until the tape ran out. It made for very interesting yet boring viewing.

His day went like this: sleep on the sofa...... Sleep on the rug....... Get a drink (heard this as out of shot) went back to sleep, got up to protect mr bunny from postman, put post in his bed, slept on the rug.

[MedicalWriter]

I'm a scientist.... so don't take it personally, I can get a little argumentative when it comes to alternative therapies/medicines...oh and religion as well....I'll keep my gob shut

[GobblersKnob]

Personally I have never fully understood why some think it is terrible for a dog to be left for a long span in the day, yet happily crate a dog alone for 8 hours at night, not saying that is wrong, I just can't see what the difference is.

Dogs are naturally most active at dawn and dusk and sleep in between, they don't have a day and night pattern like humans.

I reguarly leave my dog and previous dogs for four to five hours in the day and very, very occassionally (four or so times a year) for eight to ten hours. However he sleeps in my bed so is never alone at night.

I cannot see how this is different from spending all day with your dog and crating or leaving him in the kitchen for example for six to ten hours a night.

Not aimed at anyone on the thread btw, just a general musing on the subject

[Bowlersarm]

Personally Gobblers I don't think dogs should be crated for that long whether overnight or not. I do think that using a crate is perfectly acceptable if used for short periods of time, but think they are open to being misused because it is convenient for the owners.

[flowery]

Our dog is usually only left for 4 hours max, maybe once a week. I raced home from the office the other day to make sure it didn't tip over 4 hours, and he wagged his tail at me, relocated from his bed to the armchair and promptly went straight back to sleep, didn't go out for a wee for another 3 hours

The other day as a one off he was actually left for 6 hours, but DH took him out for a 2 hour run beforehand to make sure he was completely worn out and he was fine snoozing when we got back. I wouldn't do that regularly but as a one-off it was fine, as our doggy daycare lady was on holiday.

[ChickensHaveNoEyebrows]

Honey, I know I should just leave it, but...what?!

I crate the pup overnight, as his crate is in the kitchen where Jas sleeps. He has company, but not free reign to pounce on his room mate at stupid o'clock leading to a very grumpy spaniel.

[HoneyDragon]

Feral dogs in Moscow live on waste ground out side the city. In groups they go into the city together to scavange. They know which trains to get on in the morning. They are able to judge how much time is needed to get off a right stop. They not what time to return on the train to get back to the outskirts too.

They also demonstrate that they teach this skill to other dogs.

It is amazing to see.

[HoneyDragon]

Not - know

[MedicalWriter]

Incorrect. Their stomachs tell them they are hungry...then they get on the train. Their stomachs are full, they return home.

[Floralnomad]

gobblers don't go there ,I asked about the difference between leaving them overnight and leaving them during the day on a different thread and got told that they know its nighttime and so will go to sleep !

[HoneyDragon]

Nope. The studies concluded they are able to judge the time needed to get to chosen destinations and that the dogs were cable of open ended reasoning and conscious thought. Eugene Lindon also indicates they recognise place named over the tannoy.

Dogs when viewed as dogs are fascinating.

Personally I think dogs are very like humans but without the irritating superiority complex.

[1MitchellMum]

I work at home so it's rare that the dogs are left ... however when I had building works being done here it was often 7 hours between morning wees and the girls telling me they needed to go out (& even then I'd often take them before they asked). My boy often doesn't go out between 7.30am and 6pm (the door is opened for the others). Unless it's sunny, then he makes an appearance! My boy will wee or poo indoors if he feels he needs to. It doesn't happen often but when it does I just clear up without saying anything. In some ways I'm happy for him to do that as it means he won't hold it in and be uncomfortable. I have friends who say the same thing - though like me they rarely leave the dogs. I think leaving dogs for some time is good, however. I have other friends who NEVER leave the dogs without a human for company - I think this could be bad news if ever the dogs have to stay overnight at the vets etc.

[Bowlersarm]

Chickens was that to me? I concede that puppies should be subjected to totally different rules to adult dogs, being the mischievous bundle of lovelies that they are, and I used to crate my puppy to 'protect' my older dog from the annoyance which is a puppy! I stand by what i said but should have inserted somewhere about it being about crating dogs rather than puppies. Crates can definitely be used in a totally inappropriate way if people are too stupid or uncaring to think about the dog they are crating, just leaving them for hours on end with no toys, water, food. and the poor dog can do nothing about it's situation.

My friend has a rescue dog which had been in a crate in a garden and had water poured on it if it barked . I know that is an exceptional case, but still, makes my blood run cold.

I always feel a bit sad thinking about dogs being left for hours on end. My own dogs follow me from room to room, so I don't think they would be happy to be left for long periods.

Honey that is fascinating.

I also love the stories of dogs rescuing people as well, by finding them or keeping them warm by cuddling up to them. I know it's probably just instinct but how clever and lovely of them!

[tabulahrasa]

The thing is that some dogs are fine left all day every day and some aren't and sometimes it has very little to do with what you do with them.

The RSPCA put information out there for prospective dog owners mostly, or inexperienced ones anyway, so I would imagine they're trying to counteract all those people who get a dog thinking that they don't really need to make adjustments to care for it. Realistically it's not a fantastic idea to get a new dog and just plan on leaving it alone all day...you need to remember that some people try to do that with 8 week old puppies.

[Scuttlebutter]

Not sure why you are asking, OP? Are you struggling with this issue yourself at the moment?

Govt advice is that dogs should not be left for a "prolonged" period of time, but this advice is very much given in the context of the Animal Welfare Act, and a discussion about dog's social needs. They also (sensibly) point out that there is no fixed time which is appropriate for all
but is dependent on a number of variable factors.

There is a large and growing body of academic research on dog welfare, and as you are a scientist, you'll undoubtedly have access to specialist searches and all the latest journal articles.

On a personal level, we have middle aged/elderly greyhounds, so we feel able to leave them infrequently for periods of up to four hours. I work from home so am around most of the time during the day. Any longer than that, and we either take them with us, or make arrangements for a dog sitter or similar. I work on an opera index - La Traviata or Tosca, OK to leave. Wagner - the ILs come up to dog sit.

[LEMisdisappointed]

Marking place

[bellasuewow]

I have two who are a bonded pair. I didn't want dogs as i work full time and a friend of mine found them abandoned a couple of years ago, owner had always kept them isolated in an outdoor stable and no walks or socialisation. They were so terrified i wanted to rehome as had no clue what to do with them but i knew they would be put down as impossible to get near. Anyway i kept them in a quiet room with dog flap to the garden and strict routine, big 50 min walk in the morning, then different toys and chews and radio, then 25 min walk at 5pm then food. They they slob on the sofa with us all evening and seem pretty chilled, not had chewing or barking and seem healthy and content. It is hard to work FT and have dogs and ideally i would not do it but they are luckily used to it and also they are quiet fairly chilled dogs so in that respect i am lucky but after they have gone to dog heaven i won't be getting another dog as another dog could easily not like it and have problems being left. Plus mine are not young dogs so a bit easier i think. Overall some dogs fine to be left but not ideal and some dogs not fine for even half an hour.

[HoneyDragon]

LEM a post like that in the DogHouse can be taken entirely differently.

[moosemama]

OP, if you are interested in the scientific research that's been done into canine intelligence and emotion The Genius of Dogs is well worth a read.

As for dogs being left, for how long and how often etc. It depends of age, health, breed, personality, how much exercise they get etc - so no one size fits all answer.

I am home 99% of the time, so my dogs rarely get left. When they do I go by the 4 hour guidance, as to me that seems long enough for them to be left without being let outside for a change of scene and chance to have a wee or zoom around.

That said, I can only dream of leaving my boy for a 4 hour stretch at the moment as, since he developed separation anxiety after the death of our other dog a couple of months ago, we have only managed to build up to leaving him for a maximum of 25 minutes. (Good example of how different dogs and different circumstances affect the amount of time it's acceptable to leave them for.)

[MedicalWriter]

The reason I asked was it's the school holidays soon and there will be a few days during that time when the dog will have to be left possibly for 6 hours or so.

[DeepRedBetty]

Well as virtually all of us have said, it depends on your dog doesn't it?!

For information, one of us coming in halfway through to break up the day - say a half hour walk/ball chucking session, whatever, in school holidays, would cost £9/£10, more if there's a lot of travel.

Or you could find a local teenager to do it for a lot less, although she/he won't be insured etc.

[LEMisdisappointed]

I think it very much depends on the dogs, i would say that leaving a dog that is used to being left, for six hours as a one off is fine. I used to have rotweillers when i worked full time. My dad would take one of them for a walk at lunch time, so they weren't left for more than four hours on a stretch, but on occasion they might be left longer. I had those indivisually. They never showed any signs of being upset by being left. I would leave kongs stuffed with stuff and alternate toys but i think they just did what rotties do best - sleep.

I now have two jack russels, i don't work so generally not left for more than a couple of hours but sometimes longer, if i know im to be out a long while i will let my mum know and she will let them out for a piddle and sit with them for a while. When we got the rescue he would chew things up if left so clearly didn't like it, he doesn't chew now he is settled.

I have a friend who is having to rehome one of her dogs, he just can't cope with being left, even though he is left with another dog, her other dog is fine. I was tempted to take this dog but I am planning on going back to work so knowing he wont cope with being left means i woudlnt take him.

[bassetfeet]

This thread makes me feel very guilty and rightly so in retrospect .
Going back to the time when there was nothing much in doggy day care or dog walkers in the 70s.
I had to leave my dog for 7 hours daily alone. She had a dawn morning chase with her ball [and how she found it in the dark is a wondrous thing] and another walk when we got home . Not out of choice but necessity through changing family circumstances. We would not have got her if we had known how this was going to be .

She was fine and yes I know it was so not right ........but the option was to rehome her . Weekends we devoted to her walks and games and out all the day with her .

Life isnt fair for dogs left alone too much . But better to have a loving home surely than be in shelter ? I wish I knew this answer .

Feel bad about this still now .........guess we did what we could at the time .

[Talkinpeace]

Surely it depends on the dog?

Dobermans will be trashing the place after 40 minutes
Border collies will have rounded up the furniture
Greyhounds - so long as they had a 20 minute run in the morning - will do bugger all for the rest of the day.

[LEMisdisappointed]

WAves at basset don't you think its time you put in an appearance at the village pub luv hope you are doing good